The present invention is generally related to power miter saws.
The attachment method for a fence on all known miter saws is generally the same. Such known fence systems are attached to the saw from the top. The fence bolts drop through holes on the fence and thread into holes in the base. With few known exceptions, the fence sits on the same surface that holds the work piece during cutting.
The majority of miter saws rely on limited movement of the fence to make it square to the blade. While this system is simple, it poses several problems. First, the fence is allowed to move left to right, front to back, and rotate about a vertical axis. All that is truly needed to bring the fence square to the blade is the rotation about a vertical axis. The extra movement makes adjustment difficult. To square the saw, the user is required to hold a square against the moving fence while positioning it in three directions, making a simple task very difficult. Second, the fence can easily go out of square when the bolts are tightened. As the bolt begins to grab the fence, the fence will begin to rotate with the bolt. The user must prevent the fence from moving while tightening the bolts. A third problem relates to the addition of a sacrificial fence. Many users will add a sacrificial fence to the front of the fence provided with the miter saw. A sacrificial fence usually consists of a custom cut piece of wood about ¾″ thick. Because this piece bolts on to the front of the fence provided with the tool, the capacity of the tool is reduced.